May 2-- A Gibbsboro firefighter died Friday from complications involving a leg injury he suffered during a mandatory training exercise nearly three weeks earlier.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, Gibbsboro volunteer firefighter William "Bill" Gerace died because of a pulmonary embolism, which an autopsy found was directly attributed as a complication of a leg fracture he sustained during live burn training April 10.
The USFA said in a release Tuesday that Gerace was advancing a hoseline during the training exercise when the nine-year veteran suffered a spiral fracture to his right fibula.
An emergency call was made Friday by Gerace's wife from their home when he began showing signs of severe respiratory difficulty. Upon the arrival of emergency medical responders, Gerace stopped breathing and went into cardiac arrest.
He was immediately transported to a local hospital while EMS performed CPR, which was continued at the hospital until doctors pronounced him dead 20 minutes later.
Gerace, who was a realtor in addition to his duties as a volunteer firefighter, is survived by his wife, Barbara Shelton-Gerace, and two children, Cameron and Jessica, according to his obituary in the The Courier-Post.
